Do you remember when you first wanted a career in data? For me it when I was introduced to financial stock from Yahoo. It’s that first moment when you are in Excel and there is so much data (what I a lot of data at the time) it crashes the software and the computer. Yet it still wasn’t even enough data to solve simple question. I have always had a passion for creating and when I found to make better decisions like picking or analyzing stock you need more data I started a quest to find a way to process more. When you first start a career in data it is tough to figure out where to start. You have data storage systems like SQL, HDFS, NOSQL and more. Then you have middleware and reporting/visualization platforms, some of which can be a career all on their own. My best advice is to jump in and try as much as you can. Find what you enjoy doing every day should be a thrill.

Utilize a report like Gartner to act as a guide for what you should try. Look at the companies you would like to work for and analyze their suite of software. You can find this information in a few different places job posting, their company blog, LinkedIn profiles of employees, and User Group meeting (look at who is presenting). Remember when you decide on a software suite to work with, the community is as important as the quality of the tool because if you need help you don’t want to always rely on professional services. More importantly what better way to learn!

My suggestion are to check out Alteryx and Tableau (with a little bias). They are both amazing tools with incredible communities and it is evident when you compare them in any fashion in Gartner or elsewhere. Love what you do every day.